At the Gambell Street voting location in Anchorage, the lines were an hour and a half long for much of the day, as Alaskans started going to the polls to vote early in the Nov. 5 General Election.
In downtown Anchorage, the line was an hour long, and in Wasilla, voters said they had never seen a line so long. Voters said the same thing about Soldotna — “Dress warmly. The line is long.”
In-person voting, including absentee in-person, started in many communities on Monday. Not in Fairbanks, where the roads were treacherous after 9 inches of snow, and then rain made conditions hazardous.
The Fairbanks situation was different, with nine inches of snow and then rain on top of it. Polling was closed, government offices were mostly closed, and schools were closed.
The Fairbanks Airport Police and Fire advised people to stay off the roads:
“We know what you’re thinking…you’re looking at your car and driveway covered with 9 inches of snow and thinking, “Meh – I can do this. It’s not THAT bad…Folks, it’s NOT good! We had 6-9 inches of snow last night and it’s been raining for the last few hours. We know you think you need that bottle of wine and a pack of smokes to get you through your kids being out of school today, but don’t. Just DON’T. Think of it as Mother Nature’s way of telling you today is a good day to quit. Let that New Years resolution start today.”
Voters are choosing their presidential favorite, a new member of Congress and every single House seat in the Alaska Legislature. They’re also voting on whether to raise the minimum wage and keep ranked-choice voting in place in Alaska.
